Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-01-21
THE MISTAKE ABOUT SEE

"Hamp See a Ounce Wen, maybe 50
but arter what / seed, it 'ud take smarter
schoolmaster than you N make me think
50.
1t was old Riley Vaughn who spoke, and
although old Riley had no education, his
hard sense and sound judgment were re
spected 10y all the men who sat there in the
village post office for the mail He had
grown prosperous by dint of hard labor
and good Judgment, and his neighbors were
accustomed to ask for and to respect his
opinions.
'Ididnot say precisely that, Mr.. Vaughn, ~
replied MIR Penruddock, the schoolmaster
Il only said that my hest efforts to educate
the boy were rendered futile and nugatory
by reason of his inexphcable inability to
grasp and retain 80 simple a thing as the
accidence Of the Latin verb
That means, in plain English, that he
amt got no grip ON what you teach him.
don't it = asked old Riley.
Yes, that is what | mean, replied the
schoulmaster with something like a shud
der at Old Riley's English. But | will
make an honorable exception in the mat
ter of mathematics. He seems instructive
ly to grasp arithmetical principles,
Yes drawled old Riley, 'once your
boys told me Hamp could figger out how
long it I'D take for cistern To get full ef
they was three pipes o different sizes a
runnin' out.
Yes, he is AN expert in the practical APP
plicatiOn of arithmetic and yet even in
arithmetic his standing is not good, because
he seems incapable of mastering the exact
terms of the formula and rules
wall, now, look here" said old Riley,
rising and striking the counter with his big
fist. 1T Jest comes to this here the boy
amt got no grip ON your words and things
but hes got good grip on ideas and prin-
ciples, and it's my belief that's the inside
o sense. don't want TO be unnecessarily
offensive. but you an all schoOlmasters like
you ought to teach parrots. They don't
want no ideas they Jest want words, and
that's your notion o learnin. That's the
trouble o. this here country down here
men learn words and make speeches, but
they can't do nothin Now I've seen the
boy Hamp See do what nary a man in this
country could do. | bought the first reap
in machine as was ever seed in these parts,
an when it come it was all to pieces an
packed in boxes / sent one after another
for all the blacksmiths and wheelwrights
an carpenters hereabouts, to set the thing
up, an I'm blest If one ON EN- could make
out which end o the thing was foremost.
Not one on 'em could put any two pieces to-
gether That ere boy hung around all the
time with his forehead creased up like, an
finally he says TO me, says he, Mr.. Vaughn,
let me try Well, try, says an eff
YOU git 'er together, I've got a five dollar
bill for you. Maybe you won't believe it,
but afore noon that very day, that there
reaper was Il reapin wheat like a dozen
hands The boy Jest seed right into the
thing. Now | say eff he's Ounce, the
sooner most people in these parts lose their
senses, an gets to be ounces, the better
twill he for all concerned" And with that
old Riley stalked Indignantly out of the
post office.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley could
say however, public opinion was against
Hamp See. 1t was certain that he was dull
in his lessons He could not keep up with
Mr.. Penruddock's classes, and instead of
studying his Latin verbs he was perpetually
| interrupting the school by asking Mr.. Pen
ruddock to explain things like thunder and
| lightning, and the presence of shells in the
rocks ON the mountain, and the curious
ways plants have of taking care of them
selves-things which had no relation to the
work of the school
1t was agreed that Riley Vaughn could
|
| cause he was not himself educated. 1t wa,
even said-and this came to Riley's ears
| that he was even prejudiced against educa
ton. Even Ramps mother was discour
aged Hamp was always ''pottering,' sh,
said, instead of attending to his books.
Why" she said, hes been fooling witt
II spring on the hill back of the house the
whole season through. He's laid pipes L
bring the water down here, and now hei
turned the whole house into a mill
Then she would show her visitor wha
Hanp had done. He had constructed al
ingenious water-wheel with which to max,
the most of the power afforded by thu
spring, and had set it at IA variety of tasks
! 4 stretch of line shafting passed under the
huoI'of the house, and bands passed through
the floor to the churn, and the sewing ma
chine, and even the sausage chopper coulC
be attached at will. II don't deny that it,
handy and saves work. said his mother
And now he's made a sort of fan in thu
dining-room, and has set that going, too, 81
that il keeps the flies OFF the table. Ii WI
had baby in the house, | believe he'
make the water rock the cradle, But it.
discouraging about his studies. Mr.. Pen
ruddock is in despair, and don't know wha
is to he made Of the boy
lhe summer proven 10 ne u very ulg oil
and the gardens especially suffered for wa
ter. When the people began to complain
Hamp had an idea He always had an ide
when an emergency arose, He went int
his mothers garden and worked all day
digging atrench down the middle, and max
ing little trenches at right angles TO tn
main one, so that each bed was surrounds
by them, and the larger beds crossed a
well He was very careful to keep a
these trenches on one level. When he ha
finished, he laid a drain from his water
wheel to the main trench, so that the vast
water, after turning the wheel, was carrie
into the garden and emptied into the trencl
Little by little the trench filled the waite
trickled into the smaller trenches, and d
the spring from which it came was a nevel
failing one, the garden was well supple
with water throughout the dry, hot sun
mer, and such garden nobody in that r.
gion had seen that season
People said that Hamp See certainly vi
a handy sort of boy; but they were SUI
to add, It's pity he is so dull,
One day old Riley Vaughn was offerin
extravagant prices for horse, mule or O
, teams To haul stone He had taken col
, tract TO supply from his quarry the stor
7 for the railway bridge over Bushy Run, an
now the time for delivery was near